On Nov 13, 2004, at 8:39 pm, Keith Thomas wrote:
> There is a story both wonderful and depressing at:
>
> http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2004/10/30/fallen-fruit/
>
> It's about the literally thousands of apple varieties in the UK around
> 120 years ago and the way
> these have been whittled down to just a handful by supermarket chains'
> buying power and, most
> lately, by European Community bureaucracy.
>
> Keith


I'm lucky in that my mum has a wild apple tree in her back garden.  The
fruits take a long time to ripen, but they have a much stronger sharp
apple taste and aren't oversweet (to some people they are sour).  I've
got no idea what variety they are.  I haven't found another tree
growing wild like it- and all the ones near my mum's have been cut
down.

We've had a new tree planted to pollinate the old one, but I don't like
these domestic apples.  They come and go on the tree in a week and just
don't taste the same.  But it seems like nobody appreciates the
difference.  I can't understand the mentality of people who cut down
fruit trees and then go to the supermarket to buy things that were
previously growing for free.

Ashley